The Last Bid

Hurray! Last night we got our final bid! A1 Stove and Fireplace Shop owner and son came out and evaluated our new house from the inside to see what they could do for us and how much that would cost. The final recommendation was to get a Lopi ( low- pie) insert to replace what we thought was a wood stove insert in the fireplace upstairs. What we had wasn't even really an insert but a "face" that just made the fireplace a bit more efficient and they even found a crack in it so it's basically useless. FYI the life expectancy of a wood stove is about 15 years. It's a shame the hearth downstairs isn't big enough or even the best place to place a wood stove to get the most bang for our buck. We'd have to dismantle the wall tiles, and dig back in hoping there'd be a nice alcove to set the stove in and then the heat probably wouldn't circulate up to the bedroom wing. Big project and so we'll think about what do to with that whole area sometime in the future. It will be lots simpler to pop in the Freedom Insert by Lopi and have them run new piping up the existing chimney for now. The one in the picture looks pretty good and it has a nice 7" wide shelf for a cook top. I doubt that we'll be able to get a small enough dutch oven to fit but we'll be doing some research to find some appropriate back up cooking accessories for emergencies. Any suggestions? Our contractor took his computer into the shop last night :( so I typed up all the bids and will have to stop by the library to get copies as our printer still is on the fritz. If everything passes his approval they'll be signed sealed and delivered firsts thing in the morning. Then Wells Fargo can schedule the appraisal. Gotta Go! always, Vickie

Freakout Time Yet?

So we're waiting on two more bids; the flooring guy as his bid is now different now that the kitchen had water issues and that flooring will have to be dealt with, and the fireplace specialist can't come until Tuesday (he came a different day but our agent was out of town and he couldn't get into the house). Firm bids are back from the electrician, general contractor, and plumber. Our contractor would love to get things going by March 19th so that he can get things done and start on his farming projects..... The bids have to be in and then we move forward......patience is not my strong point at this moment in time! Looks like all appliances will be used as the money is going to all go into basic needed house repairs. Just hoping the Appraiser doesn't come up with too many unexpected additions to the needed repairs... so distracted I forgot to even sign off... sending love your way, always, Vickie

Jumping Through Hoops....

Can't believe it's been a week since I posted. It's getting busier around here with getting all the bids together and figuring out all the paperwork and hoops our lender wants us to jump through for this "special" 203K FHA loan plus helping my son finish up his eagle paperwork. We stopped by Friday but the fellow who reviews the forms was sick. The secretary did a quick once over and we headed home to fix the two details she pointed out, and to add the photographs from his eagle project we had sitting on the table back home. I'm having a hard time remembering every stinkin detail of late! Today all the kids are back in school after their Presidents Day vacation. I was able to mail the eagle forms instead of drive them back down- travel time 1 hr each way and $20 in gas saved. I did stop by the library and make copies in case of a mail snafu, and paid for a special envelope and sent mail confirmation- under $10 and I got to keep those 2 hours for other stuff. Got the plumbers bid and was pleased. It was about a thousand less than I'd expected, but that is an estimate. This will include flushing all the gunk out of the galvanized pipes, installing the shower in the downstairs bathroom, and repairing the leak in the kitchen floor. Oh and we'll get our hot water line converted from 3/8 inch to 3/4 inches. YES! One can never have enough hot water :) Was sad that my real estate agent wasn't in town when I got a last minute call from the wood stove specialist/installer. He was able to stop by and see the irrigation pipe used for the old wood stove but wasn't able to evaluate the current insert in the upstairs fireplace. We had considered purchasing a used wood stove but the new ones are so efficient that it'll be worth it to buy new and use less than half the wood we'd need with an older model. I'd much rather use 4 cords of wood per winter than 8-12! I also like the idea of only having to clean the chimney once a year instead of more frequently. Well I'd best get busy with chores again. I've taken out the trash, shoveled the steps, ran errand, cooked the dried beans, and washed whites for starters. Plus I made phone calls and worked online. Can't believe it's about time for the kids to walk in the door. Have a great day, always, Vickie

Inspection...

Dan from Pillar to Post in Idaho Falls did our home inspection yesterday. We've used him exclusively for inspections since we've move to Idaho. He does excellent work and we trust him. He finished the home inspection at 2:30pm and I had the report in my email box first thing this morning :)

The House!

Water vs The Countdown

Count Down:  8 weeks and 1 day till closing

Monday the power was turned on.  The water was also supposed to be turned on but  it's not working.  The guess is that the pipe is frozen between the house and the box from where the city turns it on. Outside temperature in town was 13 degrees.  I saw the guy dig down close to one of the two matching big blue spruce trees in the front yard and turn it on from the city's end.    We lent the other agent (not ours) our space heater- the kind that costs about $350 and they advertise on TV all the time.  It's currently pointed at the wall where the water pipe accesses the basement.

My son is suggesting we start putting videos up on YouTube so you could all see what we're talking about and perhaps get some extra cash for fixing things up.   Our budget is going to be kind of tight since we can't use our very economical contractor friend Kyle who let his license expire.  We have to come up with a new contractor by the end of the week.  The first one we contacted gave us a rough estimate of $30-40,000 to get the house up to snuff. We only have $25,00 currently budgeted in.  Time to set priorities and figure out which priorities we're the most passionate about! And see what FHA will require......

always,
Vickie

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The Price Was Right....

Yes our price was right this time around.  The bank accepted our offer but now we have to coordinate on a closing date.  They want it to be March 23 but our loan officer says it will take the full 60 days.  We don't want to pay that daily penalty of $100 for closing late so we're suggesting the first week in April.  We could officially be in possession of the property before Easter!   I can hardly wait to start posting pictures and let you all in on more of the property details that I've been keeping undercover. 

Bad news is we are pretty sure we can't use the contractor we wanted.  He was waiting to renew his expired license until  we got approval on this project.  The loan officer says he not only would need a current license but also show that he's been actively working - using the license.  Waiting on the license would take an additional couple of weeks we don't have at this point.   It's going to be close on pulling this all off in the 60 days due to all the paperwork and "stuff". 

One cool thing is that perhaps we'll be able to make this work by  the "real Christmas", April 6th. Some theologians  believe Christ was born in the spring because of the shepherds being out in the fields. Not looking for a debate but I thought it was an interesting  and amazing coincidence that according to modern day prophet Joseph Smith the actual day of Christ's birth is April 6th.    I said I wanted a house for Christmas.... and things are coming together not how I imagined it but in a very unique special way. 

Thought you'd all enjoy a head's up and hang in there.... I"m sure we'll have more news a bit more often now that we've agreed on a price :)
always,
Vickie